Full Notification

 
The Marion County Coroner’s Office (MCCO) has positively identified the individual fatally wounded in last night’s officer-involved shooting as 45-year-old Deshon Downing of Indianapolis. The MCCO will determine the exact cause and manner of death after an autopsy scheduled for Monday morning is completed.  
 
Around 8:15 p.m. on August 2, 2019, officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) East District Flex Team were in the area of 42nd and Brentwood conducting surveillance of criminal activity. FLEX Teams are proactive units that focus on addressing violent crime and removing some of the most violent individuals from our community. These teams and other specialty units such as K-9 and SWAT perform critical tasks that complement the efforts of beat officers. These units work tactical shifts and are not a part of the body-worn camera pilot.
 
Based on their observations an officer initiated a traffic stop in the 8500 block of East 42nd Street. During the traffic stop, a witnessing officer stated, the passenger produced a gun and officers responded by discharging their weapons at the passenger and fatally wounding him. The driver of the van, who was unharmed, was taken into custody and is cooperating with investigators. The van Mr. Denning was a passenger in has not yet been fully processed by the Crime Lab however, detectives did locate two guns at the crime scene last night and both were collected as evidence. The Indianapolis-Marion County Forensic Services Agency (Crime Lab) responded to the scene to collect forensic evidence including the suspect’s gun. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office was on scene and will be consulted throughout the investigative process.
 
Veteran investigators from the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) have taken the lead on the criminal investigation, standard procedure in an officer-involved shooting, and IMPD’s Internal Affairs Unit is conducting a parallel but separate investigation to ensure compliance with departmental policy. An Executive Review of this incident will occur after the involved officers have provided a compelled departmental statement. This is an added part of the administrative process to ensure questions are being asked and addressed, immediate policy or training concerns identified and addressed, and to determine the officers' immediate work status before the completion of both the investigative and administrative investigations. The involved officers have been placed on Administrative Leave as the investigation is conducted, and will have access to IMPD’s wellness program for coping assistance during this time. The three involved officers, two White males and one Hispanic male, have almost 20 years of combined law enforcement experience. 
 
All known witnesses will be interviewed. If additional witnesses exist that have not yet talked with investigators, we urge them to call the IMPD Homicide Office at 317.327.3475. Anyone with any information is urged to contact the IMPD Homicide Office at 317.327.3475 or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317.262.TIPS.

 
“The best peacemakers in any neighborhood are the neighbors themselves — and it takes an entire community to create a safe community.”

 
IMPD and the City continue to invest resources in a community-based public safety strategy that focuses on intervening in the lives of those at risk of committing or becoming a victim of a violent crime, and providing safe and productive alternatives to crime and violence. Last month, the City's Office of Public Health and Safety awarded $300,000 in grants to neighborhood organizations engaged in evidence-based violence prevention efforts. If you think you or someone you know is at risk of involvement in a violent crime, visit OPHS.indy.gov to learn how to get in contact with the City’s community violence reduction team.
 
The following information pertains to the timeline of the Officer Involved Shooting on E 42nd St. The information provided is preliminary and subject to change (Content was derived from the Police CAD).
 
TIMELINE:
8:15 p.m.-Officers conduct a traffic stop
8:22-Officers advise they one suspect down and incident command is established
8:24-Control holds all but emergency radio traffic
8:25-Officers on scene advise no officers are injured one suspect down and is lying on top of a gun
8:25-Notification of OIS sent to IMPD Command Staff
8:25-CIRT Team notified via staff page
8:26-Medics staging area established
8:28-Scene safe for medics
8:29-Arriving officers advised there is sufficient help on the scene
8:31-On call prosecutor notified
8:32-Incident command transferred to east district supervisor
8:34-Suspect confirmed deceased by medics
8:36-POST Team requested
8:37-IMPD Chaplain requested
8:45-On-duty ERG requested for crowd control
8:49-Communications van responding to the scene
8:56-Homeland Security responding to the scene with the drone
9:21-Incident Command transferred to east district commander
10:45-Radio channels split
11:55-On-duty ERG units mark in service
12:55 a.m.-Radio channels brought back together
12:55-Incident Command transferred to east district late shift supervisor
3:02- Incident Command terminated-scene is released
 
This is an active and ongoing investigation. Additional information may be released at a later time during or after the investigative
 
 
 
 
 
INCIDENT TYPE: Officer Involved Shooting  
 
INCIDENT LOCATION: 8500 block of east 42^nd , East District
 
INDIANAPOLIS -  Around 8:15 p.m. on August 2,2019 Officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) East District Flex Team which is a proactive team were in the area of 42^nd and Brentwood conducting surveillance of criminal activity. Based on their observations an officer initiated a traffic stop in the 8500 block of East 42^nd Street. During the course of the traffic stop, the witness officer, stated the passenger produced a gun and officers responded by firing upon the passenger fatally wounding him. The driver of the van was taken into custody and is cooperating with investigators.
 
There will be both a criminal and parallel administrative investigation to determine compliance with departmental policy and state law.
 
The Involved Officers work our Flex Team Units who are primarily proactive units charged with pursuing some of the city’s most violent individuals.  These Officers do not work middle shift and thus are not a part of the body worn camera study, so no body worn camera footage is available.
 
Anyone with information about this incident should call the IMPD Homicide Office at 317.327.3475 or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317.262.8477 or (TIPS).  Citizens can also download the mobile P3tips app for Apple or Android phones to submit a mobile tip, or go to www.CrimeTips.org to submit a web tip. You will remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1000 if the information leads to a felony arrest.  Only tips submitted directly and anonymously to Crime Stoppers are eligible for these cash rewards. This release may be updated as more information becomes available. Information given via Crime Stoppers should be considered anonymous.
 
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